When other babies were munching on Cheerios, my babies were savoring sliced olives as finger foods. Because of my family’s fondness for olives, I throw them on to pastas, pizza, chicken, fish, eggs, and salads…practically anything! In our home, every Shabbos meal includes olives in more than one shape or form. Adding spices to olives enhances their explosive flavor and makes for a perfect tapas: the Spanish word for appetizer.

Directions

Drain olives. In a large bowl, toss olives with the remaining ingredients and mix well. Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for a minimum of 24 hours to allow the flavors to marinate and mingle. Shake well before serving.

Tips:

These olives can be whipped up in almost no time and will last a while if stored covered tightly in the refrigerator. In fact, the flavor deepens as the spices meld. You can serve these olives at room temperature, or warm the olives to bring out their heady aroma and bold taste. File this recipe away for your Purim planning: These olives would be fabulous stored in glass jarsÂ and given out as your shalach manos.

Notes:

The savory garlic herb olives call for both sliced and minced garlic; this recipe needs both for optimal garlicky flavor.